Rewritten Destiny
by Lady Artimes Blaine
Summary: Angel and company discover a woman from another dimension, where they are a work of fiction. What sort of bond does she share with the dark champion? Why do the Powers believe that with her death will come the destruction of the world? Follow Artz as she unravels the very secrets of her soul and attempts to rewrite destiny itself.
1. Chapter 1: Not Worth Saving

Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome to my brand new story called _Rewritten Destiny_. Be advised, this is the first time I have ever written an Angel story, but it has been bugging me for the last two weeks. So here goes nothing.

Much love and overflowing gratitude to all those who have faved, followed, and reviewed all of my other stories. I certainly hope that you will do the same for this one as well.

There will be no _Sneak Previews_ or _Brief Recaps_ like in my other stories.

One final note before we begin. I do not own Angel or anything else I make references to. Okay, I think that covers everything.

On with the show!

* * *

Chapter One: Not Worth Saving

* * *

A man with dark brown hair, almost black, and forest green eyes led the way with a large flashlight. He was wearing a white under shirt, a red button down shirt, a light brown leather jacket and black pants. Following directly behind him was a beautiful young woman with long, wavy brown hair and dark hazel eyes. She was wearing a black spaghetti strap shirt, a light purple long sleeve button down blouse, and tight black pants.

Bringing up the rear was their ring leader and newly proclaimed champion of good. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and was very handsome. He wore black pants, a dark grey shirt, and a long black overcoat.

"Doyle, are you sure you're going the right way?" The brunette woman asked her heels clacking loudly on the stone flooring.

The forest green eyed man, now identified as Doyle, turned and gave her an exasperated look, making his companions come to an abrupt halt.

"Yes, I am sure, Cordelia. Now stop complaining." Doyle answered his Irish accent a bit heavier due to his irritation at being questioned.

It wasn't uncommon for there to be ripples and unrest within this trio. Despite the vampire's and the girl from Sunnydale's previous interactions, they were still getting used to each other and the whole _mission_ to 'help the hopeless'.

"Well you can't blame me for complaining. We're wandering around in a dank, smelly, maze like warehouse all because you got a vision of some swirling vortex thingy." Cordelia complained as they started walking again.

"Portal, Cordy. He saw a portal and it must be important if the Powers That Be sent him a vision about it." The dark champion spoke up, trying to keep the domestic tranquility.

"But Angel, did it have to be in some place so…" Cordelia started searching for the right word to describe their current environment.

"Creepy?" Doyle offered his tone slightly sarcastic.

"Dark?" Angel supplied trying to be helpful.

"I was gonna say filthy, but those adjectives work just as well." The brunette replied in an almost know-it-all sort of way.

Both men sighed before walking ahead. The woman's sometimes simple mindedness was still something they were getting used to.

"Hey! Wait for me!" She yelled running after them.

She caught up to them once they had reached a large room. There wasn't anything really special about the room. There was a window on the opposite wall, leading out to the alley. There were a few empty boxes littered about, some paper, and there were packing peanuts scattered sporadically.

"We wandered around for the last hour trying to find this place when all we had to do was go through that window?" Cordelia griped gesturing to the only window in the room.

"Look, I just go where the visions tell me to, alright?" Doyle snapped lightly.

Before their small debate could continue, the air in front of them began to spark and the wind picked up. The sparks became more dominant as they formed into lightning, the papers and the peanuts being blown away towards the walls and down the hall. The lightning connected to the walls, almost like anchor points. The lightning then formed a large vertical oval. Within the oval, a swirling vortex of blue, white, and silver formed, its light brightening the entire room.

Angel brought his battle ax up, holding it with both hands, and took his battle stance. Cordelia raised her crossbow and aimed it at the vortex. Doyle simply stood there, hands in his pockets. He had neglected to mention what else he had seen his vision, particularly the person, not creature, that was about to brought into their world from another dimension.

"What are you doing, Doyle?!" The brunette hissed as the Irish man started to inch towards the portal.

"Catching." He answered simply, a slight smirk on his face.

The vortex glowed brighter and then a woman came flying out of the portal and right into Doyle's waiting arms. He kept her standing while the vortex disappeared, the brightness dimming down and enshrouding the room in shadows.

"Easy, easy. You're okay. Slow, deep breaths. Traveling between dimensions is no picnic." The green eyed man joked trying to break the tension in the air.

The woman finally got her bearings and backed away from them. They finally got a good look at her. She had long, crimson red hair that was woven into a single braid with the bangs framing her face. She had deep sapphire blue eyes which was quite the contrast to her hair. She wore dark blue jeans, a black shirt, and a deep red leather jacket which by some miracle, did not clash with her hair.

"There's no need to be afraid. We're not gonna hurt you." Doyle stated his hands held up slightly in a peaceful way.

"Really, the ax and the crossbow say otherwise." She replied with a bit of sass.

Doyle looked back at his friends, who were still in combat mode.

"Put down your weapons." He ordered, "She's just a girl, not some monster, alright?"

Angel lowered his battle ax, but continued to stare at the ginger haired woman. He seemed almost entranced by her and he took a small step towards her. She backed up several steps, eyeing him cautiously. She glanced at the brunette woman, who begrudgingly lowered her crossbow. The vampire with a soul continued to stare at her, making the ginger a little bit antsy. She shifted uncomfortably under his constant gaze.

"My name is…" Doyle started but the red head interrupted.

"Allen Francis Doyle." She interjected her eyes staring at his face as if to judge his reaction.

"That's right." He replied not at all surprised.

The Powers That Be had clued him in a little about exactly where and when the mysterious red head had come from, but he was curious about how much she actually knew.

"That would make her, Cordelia Chase," The ginger responded looking at Cordelia, "And he would be Angel, the vampire with a soul."

Her eyes drifted back to the dark haired champion, who was still staring at her.

"What's your name?" Angel asked softly, taking another small step towards her while relinquishing the ax completely.

It clinked as it fell to the floor and it made the ginger jump slightly.

"Artz, short for Artimes." She replied backing up a few more steps.

She was nearing the window and the vampire could see that she wanted to bolt. He wasn't sure as to why she felt the need to run, but he could see that she was nearing an emotional breaking point. She was obviously frightened, confused, but was doing her best to stay calm and in control.

"Artz, it's a beautiful name." He said softly, giving her a disarming smile in hopes of putting her at ease.

It seemed to have the opposite effect as she took another step back. Her body was already beginning to tremble, but he had to give her credit for being able to stay calm this long. Most humans, most people really, would have already descended to some level of hysteria and would be demanding answers, but not her. She was trying to remain level headed in order to fully ascertain where she was, who she was with, and whether or not she was in danger.

"It's German." She replied quietly.

Angel let his mind run through the language quickly, his face lighting up as he understood what she was saying. He was curious as to why she had brought it up and why it seemed so important to her.

"For Doctor. Artz is German for Doctor." He responded still smiling.

"Let me guess. You're a Whovian." Doyle surmised a smile coming to his own face at the reference.

"Yeah. Um…" Artimes replied starting to become more fidgety, "This is bad. This is very bad."

"What's bad?" Cordelia asked confused, trying to understand what was going on.

"Me being here. It's very bad. I'm not supposed to be here. One of five things has happened. One: I have traversed from one parallel reality into another. Two: I have been drugged and having one hell of a hallucinogenic dream. Three: I am in a coma. Four: I'm dead. Five: I've finally lost my mind which up to this point, I had thought was impossible." The ginger rambled becoming more and more skittish.

The situation was quickly deteriorating and with it, her self control. She was beginning to buckle the longer this conversation went on and they needed to do something or say something that would help her find an emotional anchor so she could sort everything out in a rational manner.

"You're not dead, you're not in a coma, you haven't lost your mind, and no one drugged you." Angel replied hastily, trying to get her to calm down.

She started shaking her head, inching further back towards the window. The vampire didn't understand why she wasn't calming down. Then again, he still didn't fully understand humans. That was the whole point of him having a 'human connection' as Doyle had said to learn these kind of things.

"But I can't be here. You were just a television show. All of you are fictional, but if I've landed in a world where the events I've seen are real then I know too much. I'm a threat, a danger to all of you." The red head rationalized her eyes revealing everything she was feeling, "I have to…I have to…"

"You have to what?" The dark haired champion asked trying to understand.

She then looked directly into Angel's eyes and what he saw in her eyes made his stomach churn in dread.

"I have to die." She stated with absolute certainty.

Before anyone could react, she jumped through the window, shards of glass going everywhere. She landed outside and took off running. Angel quickly followed after her, but after a few turns, he lost her. He stopped and looked around. No matter which way he turned, there was no sign of her, but he felt a tugging inside of him. He was being drawn in a particular direction, but he ignored it.

About five minutes later, Doyle drove up in Angel's black convertible.

"You lost her, didn't you?" He asked stating the obvious.

"Well I think the woman was crazy." Cordelia commented from the passenger seat, "Talking about TV shows and dying. Talk about a looney."

Angel leaned on the driver's door with both hands and shook his head. Doyle gave her a look that said he was not pleased by her little comment.

"No, she was telling the truth." Angel stated.

"How could you tell?" Doyle asked mildly surprised by the vampire's declaration.

"Her eyes. They show everything that's inside of her; emotions, intelligence, gentleness." Angel answered his eyes softening in remembrance.

The brunette raised her eyebrows in an incredulous manner.

"You're not falling for her, are you? You barely know the woman." Cordelia piped up.

"It's not like that, Cordelia. It's just when I looked at her…it was like every fiber of my being screamed to protect her." The vampire replied getting off the car and running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

The vampire with a soul still felt that tugging sensation and it was getting stronger.

"Look, why don't we split up and…" Doyle started but then grabbed his head, letting out a grunt of pain.

"Doyle!" Both Angel and Cordelia yelled as they braced the Irish man.

Doyle thrashed a bit before he was released from the vision. His breathing was heavy and labored and he looked like he had seen something truly horrific. He looked up at Angel, his eyes wide as a tear rolled down his right cheek.

"We have to find her." Doyle stated almost desperate while wiping away the stray tears.

"Why? Why do we have to find her? What did you see, Doyle?" Angel questioned squeezing the man's shoulder.

"The end of everything." The green eyed man answered looking out the windshield, his eyes distant and like he was a million miles away.

"She causes it?" Cordelia asked jumping to the wrong conclusion.

Doyle's head whipped over to look at the brunette woman, an angry expression on his face.

"No, the exact opposite. If she dies, then our world dies with her. In the vision, I saw her fall to the ground dead. Afterwards, I was killed then you and others I didn't recognize and can only assume that they were our friends in the future. Then I saw the city burning, bodies and corpses everywhere with Angelus right in the middle of it. It wasn't just Los Angeles, the entire world was covered in darkness, so much screaming and so much pain. Everything was dead or dying." Doyle explained more tears coming to his eyes as he remembered what he saw.

"So if she goes and offs herself then…" Cordelia started being rather tactless.

"Our world is doomed." Angel finished rather shocked by the weight of this new revelation, "Move."

Doyle immediately climbed into the back seat and let Angel take the wheel.

"Do you even know where to look?" She asked trying to be the voice of reason.

"I do." The vampire replied putting the car in drive and stepping on the accelerator.

"Where?" Cordelia questioned holding on as he turned the corner quickly and onto the main street.

"There's this pull…like someone is tugging on my soul. I felt it the moment I saw her, so I'm gonna follow the pull." Angel answered focusing on the traffic.

"This is insane!" She exclaimed, "You're going to follow some mysterious pull and hope it leads to her?!"

"Yep." He answered pushing the gas pedal down harder.

* * *

The car pulled into an alley and the three of them got out of the car. Doyle was the first to notice the piles of dust. He knelt down and ran his fingers through the dust, lifting it into air and letting it fall back to the ground.

"Looks like someone dusted a few vamps here and quite recently too." He stated standing up and brushing his hands off.

He noticed that the vampire with a soul was focusing on the very cracked front window of a car. There was a fair amount of blood on the glass.

"Angel, man, you alright?" Doyle asked immediately concerned that the vampire might be growing thirsty and might do something he would regret.

"It's her blood. She fought them." Angel answered seemingly in control and his brow furrowed in concentration.

"How can you tell?" Cordelia asked walking over to him.

"She scratched her hand when she jumped through the window back at the warehouse. The smell of her blood is unmistakable." He answered touching the blood and sniffing it, "It's the only blood that doesn't call to me, that doesn't make me want to drink."

Doyle and Cordelia both stared at him in shock. They had never heard of a vampire not wanting to drink a human's blood before or at least not having the desire to. Angel lowered his hand and looked down the alley.

"She's hurt…badly. She's losing a lot of blood. I can follow it to her." He stated as he walked down the alley, following the scent of the ginger's blood.

His friends followed him, still trying to wrap their heads around the whole 'not wanting to suck her blood' thing. It was completely unheard of. Vampires would always have that desire to drink a human's blood, even if they were very old and had trained themselves to always have control. The point was that they would always have that desire, that urge, but by Angel's own words, he lacked the desire to drink Artimes's blood. That was something they needed to research at a later time.

A few minutes later, they entered an empty warehouse.

"What is it with her and warehouses?" Cordelia asked looking around the empty building.

There wasn't much there. A few empty crates, some garbage, a few oil drums, and what looked to be a torn and worn out mattress at the back.

"At least it's not a maze like the last one." Doyle commented trying to give his female friend a silver lining.

"She's here…somewhere. I can feel her." Angel piped up looking around, trying to locate the missing ginger.

Cordelia screamed as a male vampire jumped down from above and landed on her. Doyle staked him and helped her to her feet. Several more vampires emerged from all sides and thus started a very long winded fight. Angel was tossed by two of them and landed on his stomach. Before he could get up, one of the female vampires was already on top of him with a stake raised to puncture his heart.

The vampire screamed as she was turned to dust. Angel flipped over to see Artimes holding a sharpened piece of wood.

"You saved me." Angel breathed surprise written on his face.

Instead of replying, the red head joined the fight and staked two more vampires. She ducked, twisted, and flipped around the remaining three vampires and to the dark haired champion, her fighting style was very much like a dance. She dusted one vampire and quickly spun around and dusted another. The last one tried to run but she flipped over him and dusted him as well.

Cordelia and Doyle were both looking at her with shock and a healthy dose of awe. For someone who was supposedly badly wounded, she sure as hell could fight.

"That was amazing." The brunette woman stated.

"My friend Stephanie was a gymnast and a dancer. She taught me. It was her brother, Daniel, that taught me how to combine that with swords, daggers, etc." Artimes explained looking a little embarrassed at how they were staring at her with such awe.

"What happened back in the alley?" Angel demanded softly.

He could see where something had stabbed her from the discoloration of her shirt. He couldn't seem to find the wound though, but the smell of her blood was unmistakable. She had been injured and bled quite a lot. She shouldn't even be standing right now yet she seemed to be perfectly fine.

"There were two girls. There were about to become appetizers, so I saved them. One of the vamps got in a lucky shot and I nearly went through a windshield. Anyways, what are you three doing here?" The red head answered.

"Saving you, of course." Angel replied smiling.

The ginger gave him a dead panned look as if to say he was an idiot.

"Did it ever occur to you that I didn't want to be saved?" She asked her tone snappish and icy.

She then turned around and walked out of the warehouse. Angel followed after her, leaving Cordelia and Doyle behind.

"You may not want to be saved, but Doyle had a vision. He gets visions of people who need to be saved." The vampire with a soul answered trailing after her.

"He also gets visions about things that need to be slain." She replied stopping at a ladder to a fire escape.

She pulled it down and started climbing up the ladder. Once at the top, she climbed up the steps. Angel followed after her once again, being only a few steps behind her.

"And why would you think that you needed to be killed?" Angel demanded as they continued to climb the stairs.

"It's obvious. With the amount of knowledge in my head, I could rip apart your timeline and turn it into confetti. I am the biggest threat to you and your friends. Just imagine what someone would do if they had my knowledge of the future. They could kill you, Cordelia, and Doyle at any moment they chose. Even be sadistic enough to do it when you're at your weakest and most vulnerable state. I am very dangerous to you." Artimes explained climbing onto the roof.

She looked around and finally found what she was looking for. She walked across the roof as Angel continued to follow her.

"That simply means that I need to protect you, keep you safe from people who would use you. That makes you one of the good guys." He countered as she hopped up onto edge of the roof.

"Does it?" She asked walking out onto the skinny overhang, no more than foot wide, and walked to the end of it.

Angel started to panic as she neared the edge. What the hell was she thinking?!

"Artz, stop! Please!" He cried out, jumping onto the edge of the roof.

She turned around, her sapphire eyes determined. She had obviously had time to think while they had been trying to find her which did not bode well in his favor.

"No, I won't because even if I was one of the 'good guys'…there would still come a day that you would hate me and I'm not certain that I would be able to handle that." She replied honestly.

That took him by surprise.

"Why would I hate you?" He asked inching towards her little by little.

"Because I know who lives and who dies. I know how Doyle dies and I know how Cordy dies and the horrible things that lead up to their deaths. I know how you meet each friend, both old and new, and I know how they are going to die. I know how Buffy is going to die." She answered solemnly, "Don't you get it yet? I'm not worth saving."

He continued to inch towards her, his eyes locked onto hers. Bringing up the vampire slayer from Sunnydale had been a low blow, but he could see what she was doing. She was trying to convince him that she wasn't worth saving because she knew how everyone important to him would meet their end. That only made him more determined to save her. No one should have to carry that burden alone.

"You're wrong. You may not believe you're worth saving, but I do." He replied firmly.

"Why?" She asked as tears began to form, making her blue eyes shimmer like a rippling pond.

"Because you don't want to die. I can see it in your eyes, everything you're feeling. You're at war with yourself. You want to protect me, but at the same time, the very idea of taking your own life feels completely wrong. Do you know why?" He answered still slowly closing the distance between them.

He had to make her see sense, but more importantly find that one chink her plan of self-destruction and he had a feeling that it had everything to do with her name.

"The Doctor made a promise when he chose his name. Never cruel or cowardly, never give up, never give in. It's the same promise I made when I chose my name, Artz…German for Doctor. Committing suicide is equivalent to giving up, in my mind at least." She replied tears beginning to slip down her cheeks, "But if I don't then you'll…you will…I'm sorry. I can't."

"All I'm asking for is a chance. One tiny, little chance…please, Artz." Angel pleaded reaching out his hand slightly.

She started shaking her head, her eyes revealing her inner conflict. Her hands clutched at her shirt, just above her stomach. She was beginning to crack, her emotions hemorrhaging out of her as she tried to rationalize dying.

"I'm not worth saving. I'm not worth anything. I'm useless, worthless, unimportant…I'm nothing, just nothing." She whispered a sob beginning to rise in her chest.

"Why would you say that?" He asked quietly, moving a little closer.

What could have damaged her this much, to have broken someone who was so strong of will and of heart? He needed to know, he had to know. He had to save her at all costs.

"Because that's what everyone said, what they all said and did. My family…they gave up on me, tossed me aside when I was no longer of use. My friends…they all moved on with their lives, leaving me behind. I wasn't worth staying for. I wasn't worth saving. They all left me in the end, all of them and now I'm all alone." She answered crying harder, "Please, just let me go."

Angel came within a foot of her and looked her straight in the eyes. He could see all the loneliness and despair, sadness and pain. She had been abandoned by all she knew and now, her world had been taken from her as well. She had nothing left and yet he could still see so much goodness in her. She still held hope…even after losing everything, she still believed that things could get better. He looked deeper into her eyes and saw what she needed. She needed him…to be her anchor, her rock, her champion.

"Never, I will never let you go, I will never abandon you, and I'm immortal so I'll never leave you." He replied smiling softly at her.

He watched as the inner turmoil in those sapphire depths began to slow and eventually cease. Her eyes began to glow with a soft blue light before she leaned forward and placed her head on his chest, crying as she made the decision to trust him. He raised his arms to wrap them around her when the small ledge beneath her gave way and she fell backwards, screaming in surprise.

* * *

Lady Artz: Whoops! That's all for Chapter One: Not Worth Saving. What will happen in the next chapter? Will she die? Will Angel save her? And what was going on with that blue light in her eyes? What is her purpose in the Angel verse? You'll just have to keep reading, now won't you? Leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Two: Visions and Destinies! Stay Tuned!


	2. Chapter 2: Visions and Destinies

Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome back to _Rewritten Destiny_! It was kind of crazy in the last chapter and I left it with a total cliffhanger. Yeah, you all hate me. *grins like the cat that ate the canary* Not to worry, dearies, this next chapter is right below this author's opening remarks.

First off, much love and overflowing gratitude to all those who have faved, followed and reviewed this story and all of my other ones as well. Also, big kudos and virtual cookies to all those who read this story despite the fact that they had never watched the show or only an episode or two. You guys rock!

One final note. I do not own Angel or anything else I make references to. This is solely for my own amusement.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Two: Visions and Destinies

* * *

The aspiring actress from Sunnydale and the Irish man cursed with visions from the Powers That Be exited the warehouse and watched as their fearless leader, Angel climbed the fire escape, trying to reason with the dimensional traveler that seemed hell bent on being difficult.

"This is so not going to end well." Doyle commented walking further down the alley to follow the movements of those above them as they crossed the roof.

Cordelia trailed after him, looking a little confused.

"What do you mean? They're just talking." The brunette replied but started to get worried by the serious look on the Irish man's face, "They are just talking, right? Right, Doyle?"

"Does that look like just talking?" He responded pointing to the crimson haired woman standing on the overhang above their heads.

"Oh my God, is she really gonna jump?" She asked staring in shock.

"You heard her back at the warehouse. She thinks she is doing the right thing. That she's trying to protect us, protect Angel." Doyle answered not letting his eyes waver from the scene above them.

"But why? Why would she try to protect people she has only just met? She can't be willing to commit suicide just like that!" Cordelia protested and not comprehending the ginger's motives.

They watched as Angel continuously inch towards the dimensional traveler. Whatever he was saying was striking a chord in their new friend, because she looked close to having an emotional breakdown.

"She would, Cordelia…because she's like him, like Angel. They're cut from the same cloth. She has a champion's heart." He stated softly.

"You know more about her, don't you? You knew she was coming, about that TV show thing, all of it, didn't you?" The brunette woman surmised, catching on to what he wasn't saying.

"Yes. Yes, I did. I don't know how much she knows or how much she has seen, but I know that our world walks a much darker path than what she has seen in that show of hers. If the forces of good are going to have a shot in the dark at actually stopping all the nastiness heading our way then we need her. She is the key to everything." The Irish man explained.

"No pressure then." Cordelia started but then gasped as Artimes fell backwards, "Oh my God!"

The vampire with a soul jumped off the ledge without hesitation and wrapped his arms around the falling ginger. He turned his body so that he would break her fall, but right before they hit, a blue light erupted from the red head's body, engulfing them. Less than a second later, they were landing on the ground with a soft thud.

Cordelia and Doyle ran over to them and knelt down next to them. Artimes was laying on top of Angel's body, her skin still glowing in a soft blue light. It slowly faded until it was gone, like it had never existed in the first place.

"Angel! Angel, are you alright?" The brunette asked in panicked tone.

The dark haired champion groaned slightly in pain as he slowly opened his eyes.

"That was a lot less painful than what I expected." He commented.

"I think that might have been because of our girl here." Doyle replied gesturing to the out cold red head.

"What happened?" Cordelia asked trying to figure out what had just happened.

"She trusted me. Right at the last second, right before she fell, she trusted me." Angel answered slowly sitting up and cradling the ginger in his arms, "Doyle, get the car."

"Sure thing." The Irish man replied before rising to his feet and making a mad dash down the alley to where they had left the car parked.

The aspiring actress helped the vampire with a soul shift over to a nearby dumpster so he could stay sitting up. He kept the red head close to him, almost like he was afraid that she would disappear.

"How is she?" Angel asked wincing slightly in pain.

Cordelia checked the ginger's pulse.

"Heartbeat is steady and strong. I guess that whatever that blue light was, it must have worn her out." She answered releasing the red head's wrist, "What about you? You did just fall off a building."

"I'm a lot better off than I would have been if she hadn't helped me. Even I'm not certain if I would have survived that fall." He replied shifting slightly and letting out a grunt of pain, "I'm gonna feel this tomorrow. Damn it."

"Still think she's worth it? I mean, the woman jumped off that building." The brunette responded being rather tactless.

"She didn't jump, Cordy. She chose to trust me, but before I could get us back on the roof, the ledge gave way." Angel snapped lightly.

There was a long moment of silence between the pair.

"Clothes." He stated suddenly.

"What?" She asked confused.

"She's gonna need clothes, food, supplies, even identification. There's so much to do." He clarified his brow furrowing as he thought over everything that the ginger would need.

"I can help with some of that. Clothes, food, and supplies are no problem, but she also needs a place to live." She replied pointing an obvious flaw in his plan.

"She'll live with me." Angel countered in a sure tone.

"Uh, hate to break it to you, Mister Dark and Brooding, but you can't just decide something like that without talking to her first." Cordelia pointed out, sounding so sure of herself and her observations.

The vampire with a soul gave the brunette woman a knowing smile and she nearly groaned at the smug look in his eyes.

"She'll live with me. I know she will." He stated his tone absolutely certain.

"Yeah, we'll see. Don't be surprised when she slaps you for trying to control her life, buddy. Women don't like that." The actress replied.

Doyle drove up in the car and both he and Cordelia helped the vampire and the ginger beauty into the car. They headed back to the office and began the long process of getting everything the red head would need to acclimate to her newfound home.

* * *

Angel leaned against the brick wall, watching the dimensional traveler known as Artimes sleeping in his bed. She had been out cold for almost fourteen hours and he was becoming more and more worried about her. Doyle walked up quietly behind him and leaned on the opposite side.

"She'll be fine, so stop worrying." He stated fiddling with a deck of cards in his hands.

"She should have woken up by now." The vampire replied never taking his eyes off the sleeping ginger.

"Not necessarily. The woman was just dragged across the dimensions, fought off at least a dozen vampires, lost a lot of blood, and fell off a roof. I'm not expecting her to wake up for at least a few more hours." The Irish man responded shuffling the deck.

"Speaking of blood. I know she was wounded and yet there was absolutely no sign of an injury. Not even a scar. How can someone heal that fast? She smells completely human, but with everything that's happened; her wound disappearing, her eyes glowing, and that light that saved us from being splattered across the pavement. I'm not sure what to think." Angel stated crossing his arms.

"Do you regret saving her?" Doyle asked suddenly.

Angel's head whipped to the right to look at the Irish man.

"Of course not. Why would you ask that?" He questioned his eyes flashing in anger.

"Why, because it doesn't matter what freakiness happened, so long as you don't regret saving her." The green eyed man answered like it was obvious.

Angel returned his gaze to the dimensional traveler, his eyes softening as he continued to watch the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

"But she is going to have questions and I would like to have some answers for her. She has enough to worry about. She doesn't need to add in strange and mysterious powers that she has no idea where come from or why she has them in the first place." The vampire replied worry in his voice.

The Irish man smiled, a knowing look in his eyes. Even a blind man could see the bond that the dark haired champion shared with the dimension jumping ginger beauty.

"You really care about her. That's good." He stated his smile falling into a smirk.

"And why is that good?" Angel asked slightly annoyed.

"Because your destiny and hers are intertwined. If you're gonna have a snowball's chance in hell at even making it to the finish line then she needs to stay by your side. She's your guiding star through the darkness that lies ahead." Doyle answered.

"I thought that was what you were for." The dark haired champion joked.

The green eyed man chuckled at his friend's attempt at humor.

"I'm just the guy with the mission and the skull splitting visions, but she will be the light that shines in the darkness. That woman has a faith and belief that is unshakeable and you're going to need that." Doyle replied looking over at the ginger.

"Enough with the cryptic talk. What do you know, Doyle?" Angel demanded quietly.

"Not much more than you. A few more details about her world and the show, but I do know a little about the future you two share together." He answered vaguely.

"Future? What future?" The vampire asked.

"I had vision about an hour ago. This one was accompanied by little to no pain. Thank God. In it, you and her were standing in the sunlight, smiling at each other. You had a heartbeat, man. Not only that, but you were proposing to the lovely lady." Doyle answered smiling.

"Proposing?" Angel echoed disbelief coloring his tone.

"As in marriage, as in tying the knot, as in kissing your bachelorhood goodbye." The green eyed man elaborated.

"We couldn't…I mean, I couldn't…there's no way." The vampire rejected immediately dismissing the notion.

"And why not? It was obvious that you were devamped at some point and turned into a real boy. Besides, she's easy on the eyes and has the brains to match." Doyle countered.

"I don't know." Angel replied shaking his head a bit at the thought, "What was her response?"

"Sorry, mate. Didn't get that bit, but if the smile on her face was any indication, she was going to say yes." The Irish man admitted.

"Doesn't matter. That's a long way off and things can always change." The dark haired champion replied rather glumly.

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Angel. Just stay open to the idea and if it is meant to be then it will happen." Doyle countered.

"You really think so?" Angel asked tilting his head to the side as he continued to watch Artimes sleep.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." The Irish man answered softly.

* * *

Cordelia walked down the stairs, her arms loaded with bags. She had gone shopping at several department stores to buy the dimensional traveler a whole new wardrobe and she had stopped by the supermarket to buy all the supplies the ginger was going to need; food, drink, bathroom supplies, and even makeup.

"A little help here." She called gaining the two men's attentions, "There is more upstairs. Doyle, would you mind?"

"Not at all." He replied dashing up the stairs to get the rest.

Angel helped the aspiring actress unload all of her bags on the table and she let out a sigh of relief. The vampire with a soul let his eyes roam over the countless bags, worry and confusion on his face.

"Did you buy out the store?" He asked peeking into a few of the bags.

Cordelia smacked his hand away before he could look inside.

"No peeking and no, I didn't buy out the store. I ran out of money, but I think I got all of the essentials." She answered beginning to put the freshly bought food away.

Doyle came down with another load of bags and set them around the table since there was no room on top.

"That all of them?" The brunette asked still putting up groceries.

"Yep. Though I thought you would buy more." The Irish man commented.

"She ran out of money." Angel replied still a little bug eyed by how much the young actress had already bought.

"Oh, that explains it. Here, let me help you." Doyle responded before helping Cordelia put things in the cabinet above her head.

There was a low groan of pain from the other room. Angel's head snapped up and he immediately went to check on the dimensional traveler. Artimes was sitting up and rubbing her eyes. The vampire sat down on the bed, a small smile on his face and relief in his eyes. The ginger finally stopped rubbing the sleep from her eyes and looked up at him.

"Oh, fuck me and here I thought I was dreaming." She grumbled tiredly.

"Sorry, but you're not dreaming." Angel replied softly.

"You dove off a building for me. Though I'm not entirely sure when we landed. Everything kind of goes blank after I saw you jump." She said calmly, yawning a bit.

"You don't remember anything after we fell?" He questioned slightly surprised.

She shook her head no.

"Did something happen?" She asked giving him her full attention.

"There was this light, this blue light projecting out of your body. It cushioned the impact and saved us from a very messy end." He answered honestly.

"Weird. Well, I guess something must have happened during the transition from my world to yours to cause a manifestation like that. I mean this is a world of magic and monsters, so I really can't be surprised that there is something mystical going on with me." She replied stretching to work out the kinks.

"That's not all. The wound you had. It's completely gone…like it never existed." He informed.

She frowned in thought, pulling up the shirt and touching the spot on her left side where she had been injured. She ran her fingers across the unblemished skin before lowering her shirt again.

"I wonder if that was a one time deal or something that might reoccur." She pondered.

Angel took her hands in his.

"I'd rather not find out, okay?" He replied worry in his dark eyes.

"Settle down, my dark champion. I'm not going to do anything foolhardy to just test this little conundrum. Nope, I'm done with trying to off myself. I only had enough courage to do that once, but I know that won't ever be able to do that again. It's simply not in me. It took everything I had just to stand on that ledge and when I started to fall, I realized…" She started.

"You realized that you didn't want to die." Angel finished for her.

She looked in to his eyes, confirmation of what he said flickering through her sapphire orbs.

"Yeah, so I'm gonna muddle through. See where this road takes me, but I am homeless, jobless, and have absolutely nothing to my name and no identification to rectify that which means I need to get very clever and do my title as 'Queen of Jiggery Pokery' justice and think of way out of this mess." She stated smiling slightly.

"Jiggery Pokery?" The vampire with a soul echoed, not understanding the reference.

"The art of creative solutions. Don't worry, I'll figure things out. I have a history of doing that." She explained smiling wider.

"Well, Cordy went shopping so you have clothes, food, and other supplies. I could help you find a place to live if you want." Angel offered giving her the choice.

"Um…I was kind of hoping that you would let me live with you. I promise to keep the place tidy and neat. I could even help out with your mission. That is…if you want me to." She replied rather timidly, looking down at their joined hands.

The dark haired champion smiled, his eyes alight with happiness and relief. He had pegged her correctly right from the very beginning. She was the kind of person who wanted to help others, but she was also afraid of interacting with people which was not surprising given her background and upbringing.

"I was kind of hoping that you would stay with me. This way, you can be safe and still help us kick ass." He responded a small grin on his face.

Her head popped up and she smiled at him, relief flooding her eyes.

"You owe me twenty bucks, missy." Doyle piped up, holding his hand out to Cordelia.

"What part of broke, don't you understand? I'll pay you later." The young actress griped.

"What were you two betting on?" Artimes inquired rather curious and looking over at the duo that was standing in the archway.

"About whether or not you were going to want your own place or simply live with Angel. Cordy, here, bet that you would slap our good buddy, Angel, for trying to control your life. While I, on the other hand, bet that you would not only want to live with Angel, but volunteer to help in our mission." The Irish man explained looking rather smug.

The crimson haired woman smirked and Angel just knew that she was about to ruin Doyle's day.

"I don't think that bet was fair considering the fact that you were not at all surprised by me knowing all of you when I first came out of that portal. You already had a good read on my personality before I even got here, so I say that the bet is a draw and neither of you are winners. If anything, you two should be paying me for betting on me in the first place." The ginger countered her eyes revealing just how intelligent and resourceful she was.

"I agree with her and besides, I bought her a ton of stuff. That covers it, right Artz?" Cordelia asked with hopeful eyes.

"Quite right, Cordy. Now pay up, leprechaun." The red head replied holding out her hand, a smug smirk firmly planted on her face.

Doyle grumbled incoherently under his breath as he dug out his wallet and placed a twenty dollar bill in the ginger's hands.

"Thank you. Now you two head upstairs. I'd like to talk to Angel alone please." Artimes stated smiling kindly.

"Sure thing. Let's go, leprechaun." Cordelia responded pushing the still grumbling Irish man up the stairs.

The crimson haired woman refocused her attention on the vampire with a soul.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"For what?" He asked confused.

"For what he asks. For saving me. For jumping off that roof. For believing that I was worth saving." She answered gratitude saturating her voice.

He raised his right hand and brushed the hair from her face before cupping her cheek. She leaned into his touch, her eyes showing a multitude of emotions.

"I'll always save you, Artz, and I will always believe that you are worth saving." He replied softly, his eyes dark eyes holding a warm look in them.

She reached up and covered the hand cupping her cheek.

"Things won't be easy, Angel. There's only so much I can tell you about what is to come. Only so many I can try to save, but I do promise that I'll try." She responded her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

He raised his other hand to cup her other cheek.

"We'll face the future together. I won't let you carry this burden alone." He stated brushing her cheeks with his thumbs.

"What a pair we make. You carry the grief of the past while I carry the grief of the future." She commented a tear falling from her left eye.

He brushed it away, a soft smile on his face.

"We're perfect for each other." He joked his smile becoming more pronounced.

She let out a watery chuckle, a smile coming to her own face.

"You much more beautiful when you smile." He said softly, his face inching towards hers.

The ginger haired woman blushed at the compliment. She stared into his dark and warm eyes, completely transfixed. Their faces drew closer together, their lips mere inches from each other.

"Angel!" Cordelia yelled from upstairs.

The dark haired champion pulled back, releasing her face. He stood up quickly, looking a little off balanced.

"I best…uh…I best go see what's going on." He stuttered nearly falling over a small end table.

He gave her a shaky and nervous smile as he continued to retreat towards the stairs. She smiled at him, an amused gleam in her sapphire blue eyes.

"Go on. The city needs its champion. I'll be here when you get back." She replied a rather pleased expression settling across her face, "Bring me a cheeseburger and some fries when you come home. I'm absolutely starving."

A grin spread across his lips as a chuckle rose up out of his throat.

"Sure thing." He responded before heading up the stairs.

He looked back for a moment, smiling a bit and then headed upstairs. Artimes let out a laugh. Things were definitely going to be interesting for her and to think, she woke up yesterday morning believing that nothing would ever happen to her and that she would always be a big nobody, but now, here she was…in another dimension, living with a vampire and having strange powers. Perhaps she could finally have the home and family she always wanted. It wasn't ideal or even normal, but hey, she was never normal to begin with.

* * *

Lady Artz: That's it! Chapter Two: Visions and Destinies is over and done with! Up next will be the beginning of Season One, Episode Two: Lonely Hearts. Now don't you worry. Artz will eventually figure out what is going on with her powers and things will begin to sizzle between her and Angel. So leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Three: Angel Investigations! Stay Tuned!


	3. Chapter 3: Angel Investigations

Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome back to _Rewritten Destiny_! So sorry for the long wait, but life kept getting in the way. Also, special props to _**Brookeworm3**_ for continually harassing me to update this story and for providing some pretty cool ideas for the events to come.

Much love and over flowing gratitude to all those who have faved, followed and reviewed this story along with all of my other ones as well! You guys and girls are the greatest and I hope you continue to support my stories!

Alright, now enough of my incessant chin wagging! On with the show!

* * *

Chapter Three: Angel Investigations

* * *

The vampire with a soul, seeking redemption for countless years of slaughter and mayhem, sat alone in his chair behind his desk. The lights were not on and he had a rather thoughtful look on his face. To an outward observer, he would have appeared to have been brooding about something. The faint clacking of heels and the shuffling of fabric reached his ears, causing him to look up.

His gazed landed on the physically attractive dimensional traveler who had been living with him for the last nine days. She was wearing a tight, black dress with long sleeves. The top of the dress left her shoulders exposed with a strap across each shoulder. She wore thigh high black boots and she had left her hair down to cascade in waves like a crimson waterfall. Overall, she was very beautiful. He made a mental note to thank Cordelia for buying the ginger's new wardrobe.

"I like it." He commented making her blush prettily and finger the bottom of the dress in a nervous fashion.

"I'm not so sure about it. I feel a little exposed and just a tiny bit slutty." Artimes replied fidgeting under his constant gaze.

"I think you look beautiful." He countered his soft tone making her blush deepen and avert her eyes.

She walked over to the window and looked out, a pensive look on her face.

"A penny for your thoughts." He stated gaining her attention once more.

She glanced over at him, her eyes revealing that she was trying to come to a decision. He gave her an encouraging smile, already knowing what she wanted. His ginger haired friend was not big on physical contact, but for some unknown reason, she really liked touching him in some way or form. He knew why of course. Artimes felt safe with him and viewed him very much like a safe zone, like everything would be alright so long as he was there.

She finally made up her mind and she walked over to him. After another moment's hesitation, she sat down sideways on his lap, her legs hanging over his right leg. He repositioned his arms to wrap them around her waist and her body relaxed into his hold almost instantly. He chuckled as a stray thought flittered across his mind.

"What is it that you find so amusing, Mister Angel?" She asked a small smile on her face.

"You." He answered simply.

"Glad I amuse you." She replied with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"It's just…" He started then stopped, uncertain of how to phrase what he was thinking.

"Just what?" She asked looking up at him with curious eyes.

He looked down at her and into those sapphire depths that revealed so much to him and so little to everyone else.

"How is it that you can take on over a dozen vampires without a shred of fear and yet you can't take five steps out the front door?" He queried genuinely curious about her behavior.

She stiffened in his arms, her blue eyes hazing over with a myriad of emotions before finally clearing. She looked down at her lap, interlacing her hands together.

"Vampires are easy. They don't have souls. They live for the hunt, the kill, the thrill of the chase. It's very simple with them. All they want is to fulfill their own desires; blood, sex, conquest, but with humans, things get so much more complicated. There are layers upon layers to the human condition. There is subterfuge and lies; a constant battle between light and shadow. The human race is so wishy washy, always changing their minds.

Humans are dangerous. They lack control, discipline, and quite often, common sense. Vampires; what you see is what you get. Humans; you have to decipher, decode, and read between the lines. Humans are much darker and more cruel than the monsters we fight. That's why I don't like going outside with other… _humans_. They scare me more than the monsters." She answered her voice quiet and subdued.

Angel knew that hunting monsters was much more simple for the dimensional traveler and she preferred hanging out with him during the hours of the night. Walking in the world of magic and monsters was as easy as breathing for the crimson haired woman, but going outside, talking to others of her species, doing actual socializing…felt as foreign to her as it did to him. One of the many reasons why they got along so well.

"How about a trade?" He offered making her look up at him in confusion, "You go outside and I'll go with you."

"Angel, we go out every night on patrol." She commented not understanding what he was talking about.

"I mean, going into town. Maybe a club or something. You know, connecting with people, talking." He replied trying to explain what he had in mind.

The confusion slowly faded from her face, her expression turning to one of deep thought. A few seconds later, she nodded.

"Okay, you and me, we'll go out and find some fun that doesn't revolve around monster hunting." She agreed smiling.

"You're okay with that?" He asked wanting to make certain she was sure.

"Yeah, I'll be just fine if you're with me. You are my dark champion after all." She answered beaming at him, her blue eyes sparkling like sapphires.

He smiled back, actually looking forward to the outing. The lights suddenly came on, causing both occupants to blink at the sudden illumination of their surroundings. Doyle walked in, spotting the two of them.

"Wow, Artz. You're quite gorgeous." He commented causing the ginger to blush as bright as her hair in embarrassment.

She quickly got off of Angel's lap and leaned against the wall behind him, crossing her arms in a vain attempt to cover her breasts...and failing miserably.

"Thank you for the compliment. I was just trying out some of the clothes Cordy bought me." The ginger replied still very flustered.

"Amen to that." He responded before turning his attention to the vampire with a soul, "Maybe we should go over this thing again of you and her getting out into the world and involving yourselves with people. It's Friday night. It's the most social night of the week! A few lookers like us should be out there enjoying the nightlife. Not sitting in the dark like some kind of…"

"…some kind of vampire?" Both Angel and Artimes finished in unison.

Doyle had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the pair. Their synchronicity was a bit irritating sometimes, but he was used to it… _almost_ used to it. It was still a touch creepy though.

"Well yeah. I was going to say Slacker, but yeah, to you two, Mister and Misses Obvious. You two have got to come out!" The Irish man replied sounding damn close to desperate.

"Why?" Angel asked seeing the knowing smirk on the ginger's lips.

She knew something and she obviously found it rather amusing if the almost Cheshire like smirk on her face was any indication. He often times enjoyed her mischievous nature. It didn't come out often. She was more shy than anything else, always uncertain about her place in the world, but they working on it. She was slowly opening up more and was really coming out of her shell. She just needed some time and a whole lot of patience.

"Because we deserve a night of fun, don't you think? I mean, it breaks up those nights of death and mayhem. Plus we could toast the new business, you know, the four of us." Doyle answered whistling and tilting his head towards the outer office area where Cordelia usually worked.

"Doyle, if you want to ask Cordelia out…" Artimes started.

"Just do it yourself." Angel finished slightly exasperated.

"I don't even know if she likes me,…" Doyle started.

"She doesn't, but I'm certain that we could put in a good word for you. She might come around." The ginger interrupted.

"You can tell her about what a great guy I am!" The Irish man stated clinging to hope.

"I barely know you." Angel replied pointing out the flaw in that plan.

"Perfect. That should make it easier for you then." Doyle countered.

The aspiring actress entered the outer office with a brief hello to the trio.

"Slight problem with that, Allen. I do know you." Artimes commented smiling at the Irish man.

"Look, when you're talking to her, don't let her in on that me being half demon. Because, you know, women can be a little funny about that." Doyle stated completely ignoring the ginger's comment.

"What am I? Chopped liver? I'm pretty certain that I classify as a woman and I have no problem with you being half demon." The red head snapped lightly, making the Irish man back pedal slightly.

He didn't get the chance to correct his slight blunder because Cordelia walked into Angel's office with a small box in her hands and big smile on her face.

"They're finally in." The brunette woman stated happily.

"They're in." Doyle echoed.

"Bout damn time." Artimes commented walking around the desk to join Cordelia.

"Okay?" Angel replied feeling rather confused and out of the loop.

"Your cards." Cordelia and Artimes said in unison, smiling at each other as they opened the box.

"The cards." Doyle echoed once again, making the red head roll her eyes.

Artimes picked out a card and handed it to Angel.

"They're your calling cards to leave with people so they know how to reach you." The ginger elaborated.

"Great idea! Calling cards. It's not like you have a signal folks can shine in the sky whenever they need help, you know?" Doyle replied enthusiastically.

Angel looked down at the card, noticing their number.

"Hey, look at that, there is our number. It's right next to a…a, um…a…a butterfly?" He said going from a child like wonder to confusion.

"It's not a butterfly, Angel. It's…" Artimes started but was cut off by a certain irritating Irish man with a crush.

"It's obviously not a butterfly, you idiot. It's a…a bird. No, no, wait, it's an owl. A…a bird that hunts at night. Brilliant! It's a…a…" Doyle babbled excitedly, acting like a total fool.

"It's an angel!" Both girls deadpanned, giving the men in the room a rather annoyed look.

"An angel. Right. It's an angel!" The vampire with a soul stated trying to be happy.

"I picked out the image myself. Maybe I should have gone with something less abstract." Artimes commented to Cordelia, her good mood evaporating very quickly.

"No! It's brilliant! So obvious and so clever on so many levels…" Doyle replied trying to get the glum look off of the ginger's face.

"Oh, shut up!" The brunette woman snapped smacking the Irish man in the chest with the back of her hand.

Doyle doubled over in pain.

"Come on, don't be such a baby. I barely hit you." The brunette woman quipped.

"He's having a vision!" The red head snapped.

The Irish man moaned and kicked the desk then fell back, throwing the cards up in the air. Angel jumped to grab him while the dimensional travel braced him from behind, easing him down into a chair.

"Hey, hey, hey, Doyle!" Angel called out in worry, " Are you okay, man?"

The Irish man took a calming breath, rubbing his head a bit.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He responded still feeling a bit of backlash, "Thanks for the save, Artz."

"Anytime. Now what did you see? What did you see, Allen?" The ginger asked still hovering near the dark haired man.

"It's a bar. Uh, I think I recognize it. It's one of those terminally-stuck-in-the-eighties places." He answered rolling his neck a bit.

"I like the eighties." Artimes grumbled before being shushed by her vampire roommate.

"Yeah, and?" Angel questioned.

"That's it. No faces popped out at me, man. Just…just a feeling." Doyle answered.

"What feeling?" The aspiring actress asked.

"Something's gonna happen." The Irish man answered ominously.

"Looks like you got your wish, Angel." The ginger piped up.

"Looks like we're going out after all." The vampire with a soul replied, "Let's go."

* * *

The group of four descended the stairs leading into the club.

"Ooh, classy!" Cordelia commented looking rather excited to be out and about.

"I feel really exposed." Artimes mumbled shifting uncomfortably and pulling the bottom of her dress down a little.

"Focus on the mission, Artz, and remember, I'm here with you. You're safe." Angel whispered in her ear.

She nodded, forcing her body into a state of calmness. Her sapphire eyes became sharp and alert and the vampire had to stop himself from smirking. Artimes had an unusual knack for controlling her emotions, especially when presented with a particularly dangerous and life-threatening situation. He honestly thought that she was built to walk in the world of the supernatural. It was like she belonged there…right by his side, fighting the good fight.

"Okay, what now?" The brunette woman questioned drawing him away from his thoughts.

"All right. Look, let's split up. Look for someone that might be in trouble." The dark haired champion instructed.

"Or something that's about to cause it." Artimes and Doyle said in unison, making them glance at one another briefly.

The aspiring actress handed Angel a couple of his new calling cards. She tried to do the same to the dimensional traveler, but the red head glared at her.

"No pockets, genius and I didn't have time to grab a purse or a jacket." The ginger woman snapped lightly.

"Sorry." Cordelia replied sheepishly.

She and Doyle went off on their own, leaving Angel with the dimensional traveler.

"I'll head this way." Artimes stated gesturing off in a random direction, " You try that way."

"You certain that you'll be okay?" He asked suddenly very nervous about the splitting up idea.

He didn't like the thought of the crimson haired woman being on her own, especially with how gorgeous she looked at the moment. She wasn't just in danger of monsters at this club, but humans as well, men to be precise.

"I'll be fine. We're on a mission, so let's get it done." Artimes answered firmly, confidence radiating from her.

"Okay, but you shout for me if you get into any trouble, alright?" He countered unable to rid himself of the growing uneasiness in his stomach.

"I will. Now stop your fretting and get down to business." She snapped lightly, a small smile on her face.

The duo finally parted ways. Angel ended up in conversation with Kate while Artimes focused on the girl called Sharon and her supposed date, Kevin. Cordelia was busy pointing out facts about people when Artimes grabbed a drink from a nearby table and 'accidentally' bumped into Sharon, spilling the drink all over her.

"I'm so sorry! It's the heels! They make me such a klutz!" The ginger apologized moving Sharon away from Kevin gradually.

"No, it's fine. Really. I wasn't watching where I was going." Sharon replied becoming quite flustered with how close the red head was to her.

The blonde blushed when she looked into the ginger's eyes, completely enthralled with the sapphire depths that held such kindness.

"I can pay for the cleaning bill. I really am sorry. Please let me make it up to you." Artimes persisted completely unaware of how she was affecting Sharon.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm heading home anyways. I'll just throw it in the washer. Um…I'm Sharon by the way." The blonde introduced still blushing.

Artimes smiled brilliantly at her, completely dazing the shy woman.

"I'm Artz. It's a pleasure to meet you…despite the circumstances." The red head replied looking a little sheepish.

"Uh…Sharon?" Kevin interrupted looking a little perturbed.

"Oh, um…sorry, Kevin. I'm just gonna go home, okay. I had a nice time. Bye." Sharon replied before dashing up the stairs like she was on fire.

"Sharon! Damn it." Kevin cursed looking at the crimson haired woman with severe annoyance.

Artimes raised an eyebrow as she smirked.

"Looks like you're out of luck, _Kevin_. Have a nice night." The ginger woman stated walking back to main floor with a rather pleased expression on her face.

She zigzagged through the crowd until she reached Cordelia and Doyle.

"Hey Artz. What was all that about?" The Irish man asked both curious and concerned.

"Oh that, that Kevin guy just wanted to get laid and Sharon's a nice girl. She could do so much better than that ass wipe." The red head answered leaning her back on the counter.

"So you got everyone figured out then, eh Artz?" Doyle asked.

"Not really." She answered simply.

"I'll say. You were completely clueless about the fact that little miss Sharon had the hots for you." Cordelia piped up.

Both Artimes and Doyle looked at the aspiring actress in various degrees of shock and surprise.

"Come again?" The ginger asked completely taken aback.

"She was blushing the whole time you were talking to her. She obviously found you to be very attractive. That and she just discovered that she was a lesbian." Cordelia stated in a matter of fact tone of voice.

"Now _she_ has everyone figure out." Artimes commented gesturing to the brunette woman, "I totally didn't notice, though looking back, that does explain a few things. Hindsight's twenty/twenty."

"I don't have everyone figured out. You and Doyle are a complete mystery to me." The actress replied.

"Me?" Both parties echoed in confusion.

"Well yeah. Artz, you're like a walking contradiction. You can kick ass right next to Angel, dusting vamps like they're last year's news, yet you're all shy and timid and completely ignorant in normal social concepts. It's like you see it, but you don't comprehend it and that's only the tip of the iceberg with you." Cordelia explained before moving on to the Irish man standing next to her, " And you, what's with those vision things of yours?"

"They're messages I get, you know from the higher powers, whoever they may be. You know, it's my gift!" Doyle replied slightly insulted.

"If that was my gift, I'd return it. I mean you get those headaches and you do this _bleh_ thing with your face." The aspiring actress responded making a weird face.

Artimes held back a snort, amusement dancing in her eyes. Cordelia certainly had a way with words that was quite comical at times. The Irish man downed his drink before responding.

"What thing with my face?" He questioned getting a little huffy.

"Plus, your visions are kind of lame. A bar? That's nice and vague! I mean they should send you one of those self-destructing tapes, you know, that come with a dossier?" The brunette woman rattled on.

"Doyle, Allen Doyle…a special agent." The red head teased giggling a little at the put out expression on the dark haired man's face.

"Well, I'm sure to mention it…" Said man started only to be interrupted by some blonde guy, holding up the calling card that Cordelia had been passing out earlier.

"Hey, you're the ones handing out those cards?" The blonde guy asked looking over both the brunette and the ginger like they were eye candy.

Artimes had to fight the urge to wretch. This guy was so blatantly obvious that even she knew what he was after and she wanted no part in it.

"Do you need help?" Cordelia asked completely ignoring the creepy vibe coming from the blonde guy.

"Well, I was wondering if that is really your number. Do you mind if I ring you and your friend up some time for a date?" He asked looking the red head over again, a lustful look on his face.

The ginger was really regretting her choice in clothing at that moment. The only reason she had tried on such a revealing outfit was because she had wanted Angel to see her in it. Wearing the dress and the accompanying nightmare that was the thigh high heeled boots had been completely worth it when she saw the look on her champion's face, but now, it made her feel completely naked in the eyes of this atrocious little man.

"Yeah, they mind." Doyle answered about to get in front of the girls to protect them.

The brunette woman put her hand on the Irish man's chest, halting his actions.

"We can handle this, okay?" Cordelia responded before turning her attention to the blonde idiot, "Yes, we mind. This is a business card. We offer services to people in need."

"Well, I might be in need of a little service. You two charge by the hour?" The blonde questioned rather rudely.

"Excuse me?" The aspiring actress answered insulted.

"Alright. Just everyone relax here a little bit. The ladies are with me, alright?" Doyle piped up, trying to diffuse the situation.

"No, I'm not." Cordelia rebuked.

"Yes, we are." Artimes countered.

"Hey, nobody is talking to you, wipe." The blonde replied directing his statement towards the Irish man.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble, okay?" Doyle responded wanting to settle the situation.

"Allen, don't let him talk to you like that. He does not have the right to treat you like trash." The ginger snapped becoming more annoyed with this situation.

A second guy came up, asking what the trouble was and earning a rather quick rebuttal from Doyle.

"Turns out, these two are hookers and they're pimp here is giving me a hard time." The blonde guy stated setting off the red head's temper, her eyes glowing blue for a brief moment.

Her right hand balled into a fist and she decked the guy hard, sending him staggering back. The blonde moved to grab her but her Irish friend head butted him which led to a fight between Doyle and the two men. The bartender rushed over to break up the fight and got hit in the face by the second man.

"Angel!" Artimes called out, getting the vampire's attention instantly.

The dark haired champion ran across the room and grabbed the chair from the blonde guy that was about to clobber Doyle with it. He used the chair to block the blonde guy's punches then threw him into the wall. Both guys went up against Angel but he held them off easily. Doyle rejoined the fight and he and Angel threw the two men into a pile and bartender stepped in between them and their would-be targets.

"Those two jerks started it!" Cordelia shouted pointing at the two men that had insulted her and the dimensional traveler.

When they started to protest, the bartender cut them off.

"Not a word. Not a word! Every time with you guys. Out! Come on. Let's go!" The bartender shouted ushering the two men out.

Angel came over to the crimson haired woman, checking her over for injuries.

"Are you alright?" He asked his dark eyes filled with worry and a small amount of fear.

"I'm fine. My hand hurts a little." She answered holding up her hand and revealing the reddened skin.

"What happened?" He asked taking her hand in his, inspecting the damage.

"I punched him after he called me and Cordy hookers. I sort of lost my temper. Sorry." She answered feeling a little guilty for allowing her emotions to control her.

Angel watched the redness of her hand slowly vanish like it had never happened. It wasn't the first time he had seen her accelerated healing ability. They had been a few fights over the last week and she had gotten mildly injured; a few scrapes, a bruise or two, but they all vanished with minutes, a few hours at most.

"I'm just glad you're alright." He breathed allowing the relief to flood his system.

When he had heard Artimes scream out his name, it had felt like he had been doused in ice. It had chilled him to the core which was saying something since he was a vampire. He was beginning to rethink the whole 'going out and socializing' thing. It wasn't worth the ginger getting hurt in any way. He was pulled from his thoughts when the red head removed her hand from his grasp.

"Focus on the mission, Angel." She stated before cutting through the crowd and leaving him at the mercy of some random woman who walked up to him with a strange smile on her face.

* * *

Artimes quickly caught up to Kate, touching her shoulder to stop her from leaving. The blonde woman turned around, looking rather irritated.

"What?" Kate demanded.

"I just wanted to apologize for stealing Angel from you earlier. I was a bit in over my head with those guys hounding me and my friends. I'm sorry." The ginger apologized surprising the detective.

"You his girlfriend?" The blonde asked.

"No, just a friend. His roommate actually." Artimes answered smiling.

"And you're not together?" Kate questioned her tone incredibly skeptical.

"Not at all. Why would you think that we were together like that?" The red head asked confused.

The female detective looked at her like she had grown a second head and transformed into an Aplan.

"You're telling me that you didn't notice?" Kate asked looking rather surprised.

"Notice what?" The ginger countered incredibly confused.

"Let's get a drink and I'll tell you." The blonde answered gesturing towards the bar.

"I don't have any money." The red head replied, "We sort of left in a rush and I don't have my wallet."

Kate let out a small snort, shaking her head as a smile slowly appeared on her face.

"Come on, it's on me." She offered.

"I certainly hope not. I prefer my drinks to be in glasses or cups." Artimes retorted being a bit of a smart ass.

The female detective let out a chuckle and ushered the red head over to the bar, ordering two shots. They struck up a conversation and chatted most of the night away. Kate asked a lot of questions about Angel and Artimes told the female detective about Angel being a paranormal investigator that commonly took up missing person cases and mysterious deaths. She also explained that the vampire with a soul was a total Martian when it came to socializing and was even more awkward than she was when it came to talking to other people.

By the time the club started winding down, Artimes and Kate had become rather fast friends. They hit it off pretty well and they exchanged numbers. The blonde detective asked her if she wanted to hang out tomorrow at club and the dimensional traveler agreed. Kate wished her good night and the ginger joined her friends who were sitting at a table, looking rather dejected.

"You know, I'm having a hard time believing that Doyle's vision meant I was supposed to come here to break up a bar fight." Angel commented.

"Yeah well, if it was, I'm in for some serious workman's comp." Doyle concurred feeling rather put out.

"Alright think. Could any of you sense that anyone here tonight needed help?" The vampire asked.

"Yeah, everybody." Cordy answered stating the obvious.

"This socializing thing is brutal. I mean, I was young once. I used to go to bars. It wasn't anything like this." The dark haired champion commented shaking his head slightly.

"I used to go to taverns. Small towns, where everybody used to know each other." The Irish man put in.

"Yeah, like high school. It was easy to date there. We all had so much in common. Being monster food every other week for instance." Cordelia chimed in.

Artimes stayed quiet, looking down at the table. Her sapphire eyes were clouded over with loneliness and sadness. She never really fit in back home. She just sort of stuck out and everyone seemed to know it too. Sure, she had friends, but they all left her at some point or another.

Angel noticed the shift in her mood and placed his hand on her shoulder, making her head pop up to look at him. He smiled softly at her and her eyes cleared as she smiled back.

"Sorry folks, got to kick you out now." The bartender informed.

"Sure." Cordelia responded.

The barkeep left to continue cleaning up and ushering the other patrons out.

"I guess the single life's particularly tough on you." She commented to Angel.

"Why?" Both Angel and Artimes asked in unison.

"Well, a couple of hundred years ago all you had to worry about was a hangover. Today because of your curse thingy, you can't sleep with anyone or else you might feel a moment of true happiness, lose your soul, become evil again, and…kill everyone." The aspiring actress elaborated.

"Thanks, Cordelia. I always appreciate your perspective." Angel replied rather dryly.

"No problem. Hey, the last thing I want is to show up at the office and find that I'm working for a homicidal monster." The brunette woman responded like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"So it's a matter of self-preservation on your part, I see, and Angel can sleep with women because a moment of perfect happiness doesn't come along every day. Most couples never attain that moment of perfect happiness and have to accept okay happiness or slightly better than normal happiness. So stop trying to make Angel consider a vow of celibacy." Artimes snapped more than a little annoyed with the aspiring actress from Sunnydale.

"Sorry, didn't mean to offend." Cordelia replied raising her hands in mock surrender before standing up from the table.

The group of four walked up the stairs and headed out of the club. Angel got the car while the dimensional traveler rubbed her temples, trying desperately to ignore the petty bickering of the grumpy Irish man and the annoying actress. The vampire with a soul returned with the car and they headed back to the office to do a little digging into the club.

* * *

Lady Artz: That's it! Chapter Three: Angel Investigations is over and done with! Whew! Five thousand words! Can you believe it?! This has got to be the longest chapter I have done in a while. I hope you're happy, Brooke! I typed this chapter up especially for you! Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Four: Twisted Truth! Stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4: Twisted Truth

Lady Artz: Hey everyone and welcome back to my Angel story called _Rewritten Destiny_! I am so sorry for the incredibly long wait, but I got distracted by my new Final Fantasy XIII story called _Star of Hope_. So if you have played or know anything about Final Fantasy XIII, XIII-2, or XIII-3: Lightning Returns, I suggest reading _Star of Hope_. It's a fan falling into the FFXIII verse a few years before the Purge. The main story line won't start up until Chapter Twenty or so because she's getting to know the characters.

* * *

Okay, enough of me begging for reviews. Much love and over flowing gratitude to all those who have faved, followed, and reviewed this story along with all of my other ones as well. You guys are the greatest!

 **Special Shout Out:** This is for my friend, Brooke. It's because of her that you're getting another chapter for this story, so props to Brooke!

One final thing before we get this party started. I do not own Angel or anything else I make references to, mainly Doctor Who. I only own my original character, Artz, and the insanity that she brings with her.

* * *

Hope: The only reason she brings insanity is because you're insane.

Lady Artz: *groans* Not here too, Hope. You have already invaded my personal blog and now you're invading my Angel fic. What ails you, child?

Hope: Nothing 'ails' me. I'm simply curious about what else you write.

Lady Artz: You are going to leave because this chapter is not meant for children.

Hope: Let me guess; violence, drugs, sex, and possibly some gore.

Lady Artz: Go away, Hope.

Hope: *sighs* Fine. Just don't forget about _Star of Hope_ , okay?

Lady Artz: I won't forget, I promise. Now shoo.

Hope: *gives her a dead panned look* Really?

Lady Artz: Shoo shoo.

Hope: *sighs again before leaving*

Lady Artz: *looks at her readers and chuckles nervously* Uh…sorry about that. Now on with the show!

* * *

Chapter Four: Twisted Truth

* * *

The vampire with a soul, the actress from Sunnydale, and the Irish man cursed with visions toiled away the entire next day, trying to find any information of the goings on in and around the club. The crimson haired dimensional traveler would have assisted them, but the dark haired champion had insisted that she got some sleep. He was still very edgy about the previous night and he was taking extra precautions to make certain that she was alright.

Artimes had allowed him to fret over her like a mother hen, but that was because she had every intention of returning to the club that night. She had promised Kate that they would hang out and she wasn't about to break her word because Angel was being overprotective. Besides, she wanted to prove not only to him but to herself that she was more than capable of looking after herself.

To that end, she was sifting through the multitude of clothes that Cordelia had bought her and she had a stinking suspicion that some of her clothes were actually from the actress's own wardrobe. She recognized several of the pieces from when the brunette had attended high school. It took her almost forty five minutes to find an adequate dress and another twenty minutes to actually gather the courage to put it on.

The dress was a deep red and ended only four inches below her bottom. The fabric over her breasts created a v-shape that revealed a good portion of cleavage but left her sides exposed. It connected in the back so that the fabric up front would remain in position. She knew that it was a very risky outfit considering what had happened the previous night, but she was getting tired of being so damn skittish.

She slipped into a pair of silver open toed heels and put on a silver necklace with a silver heart at the end, a blue stone in its center. She chose a pair of blue earrings that complimented both the necklace and her eyes. She applied some cherry chap stick to her lips, just enough to be noticeable and not nearly as gaudy as actual lipstick.

She walked over to the mirror and gave herself a once over. Overall, she wasn't bad looking, but she felt like something was off. The dress and accessories were fine and then she noticed her hair. She had it twirled and clipped in a big hair clamp, her bangs framing her face. She stared at her reflection for a bit longer before she removed the hair clip. She bent over and fluffed her hair a bit before snapping back up, flinging her hair back in the process.

She looked into the mirror and smirked. Yep, that was much better. Her hair was now draping across her shoulders and down her back. Her smirk widened slightly as mischief danced in her eyes. She couldn't wait to see Angel's face when she went up stairs. He was going to be gob smacked, she just knew it. Then once he was over his initial shock, he would ask her what she was doing.

She grabbed her jacket, draping it over her arm. She then grabbed her purse, making certain that she had at least a can of pepper spray and a wooden stake. She then looked towards the stairs. She took in a deep breath to calm herself and then headed up the stairs.

Cordelia, Doyle, and Angel were all hard at work, trying to uncover the mystery of the club.

"This is completely whacked, man. I don't even know what I'm looking for anymore." Doyle complained setting down the paper in his hands.

"You're looking for any events in and around that bar." Artimes piped up, walking into the room.

The vampire with a soul looked over at the ginger haired woman and his mouth fell open in shock…mainly because he had never seen her wear something so… _provocative_. If he wasn't a vampire, his heart would have been pounding its way into oblivion. She was drop dead gorgeous. There were no words to describe the sheer amount of emotion he felt in that single instance of time.

Then she smiled, her eyes alight with mischief and humor and it just completed the breathtaking sight that was her. The moment was spoiled by the Irish man whistling in appreciation and Angel was finally able to get a hold of himself.

"Wow, Artz. You look great in that dress. Going out?" Cordelia commented.

"That's the plan. I promised someone that I would meet them at the club and hang out tonight." The red head replied slipping on her jacket.

"Club? You mean D'oblique? You can't go there." The souled vampire refused.

The ginger gave him a look that literally said that there was no way in hell that he was going to stop her.

"I made her a promise, Angel. Are you gonna make me a liar?" She challenged her sapphire orbs determined.

"Her?" Doyle echoed.

"Is it Sharon?" Cordelia asked genuinely curious.

"No, it's Kate and yes, it's the same Kate that you met last night, Angel." The red head answered.

"I still don't want you to go. It's too dangerous." He stated adamantly against her going to the club, especially in that dress.

She closed the distance between them and looked him straight in the eye.

"I am going and you're not gonna stop me. Kate will look after me while you focus on the mission." Artimes replied firm in her resolve, "Besides, you'll be there in case things get out of hand."

Angel mulled it over, weighing all the pros and cons of letting her do as she wished. He looked into her eyes and saw that there was no way he was going to win this argument, short of actually locking her up downstairs.

"Fine, but if anything happens…" He started.

"To call out to you immediately." She finished a smile forming on her lips.

"Well now that you two are done with your little domestic. We've got something." The Irish man informed.

They both looked over at him and wondered when he had moved over to the computer to do a search.

"We've got two hits." Doyle stated clicking on the link.

"Look at that. Search continues for Heather Nolan. Missing since last month, the twenty four year old paralegal that vanished after leaving a downtown bar called D'oblique." Angel read scanning over the article quickly.

"Missing girl. That sounds a little more up your alley." Cordelia commented earning an annoyed look from the ginger.

"What's the second one say?" Artimes asked trying to hurry this up a bit.

She didn't want Kate to think that she had stood her up.

"Badly mutilated body found in the dumpster nearly three weeks ago, described by the coroner's office as eviscerated, has been positively identified as that of twenty eight year old Martin Haber, last seen with an unidentified female companion at D'oblique, a trendy singles establishment." Doyle read out, noticing the ginger's growing impatience.

"That's it then. Probably a lot more disappearances that the press hasn't traced back to the bar yet." Angel commented.

"So we got a missing girl and a stiff." The Irish man stated.

"An eviscerated stiff." Artimes reminded placing the strap of her purse on her shoulder.

"Go down stairs and use the library. Try to narrow down a list of eviscerating demons, ones that might have reasons to prey on young singles." The souled vampire ordered.

"Make certain to include burrowing demons while you're at it because to lead its victims away from such a public place, it would need a human guise." The ginger commented trying to point them in the right direction.

"Very good point, Artz." Angel stated putting on his coat, "I'm gonna see if I can meet a killer."

The two left the office without another word.

* * *

The crimson haired dimensional traveler and the vampire with a soul walked towards the club known as D'oblique.

"I'm still not sure about this, Artz." Angel commented hesitation in his eyes.

"Why are so against this? You wanted me to get out and socialize." Artimes retorted.

"It's just…" He started but stopped as he bumped into someone, "Oh excuse me."

"Well hello." Kate replied smiling at the red head, "Sorry, I'm late."

"That's okay. I just got here myself. Angel is being a worry wart." The ginger responded returning the smile.

"In that dress, I'm not surprised." The blonde commented looking the dimensional traveler over.

"Not good?" Artimes asked becoming self conscious.

"Exact opposite, very good. I'll be beating the men off with a stick." Kate joked causing the red head to blush.

"Kate?" Angel started getting the blonde's attention, "Please look after her."

"Artz told me that you were a paranormal investigator that takes on missing person cases and the more bizarre stuff." The blonde informed giving him a somewhat amused look.

"Yeah, sorry about…" He started but trailed off.

"Sorry for lying to me? Don't worry. It's fine. Artz explained that you were…how did she phrase it…a total Martian when it comes to socializing." Kate interjected a small smile on her face.

"Martian?" He echoed looking over at the silently giggling red head.

"You're even more socially awkward than I am, Angel. It's downright hilarious to watch sometimes." The ginger defended giggling again.

Kate let out a chuckle as well, making the souled vampire look between the two before deciding to just give in to the conniving women that were making fun of him.

"Look Kate, I just want to make sure that Artz stays safe while I'm…investigating. She's very special to me." Angel stated returning to their original conversation.

Kate glanced at the crimson haired woman and noticed how she was staring at her dark haired companion with something akin to surprise on her face, but had an incredibly pleased look in her eyes. She glanced back at Angel and she inwardly sighed. These two were completely blind to the fact that they sounded and acted like a couple.

"I give you my word that I'll keep her safe, though I might have to leave early, but I'll make certain she gets a cab home." The blonde promised caving to the vampire's earnest face.

The tension drained from his body, his eyes filling with gratitude.

"Thank you." He replied honestly.

"Can we stop standing outside? My feet are killing me in these heels." The dimensional traveler complained shifting from one foot to another.

"Then why'd you wear them?" He asked confused.

"They go with the dress." Both she and Kate answered in unison, making the souled vampire blink owlishly.

Both women smiled at how confused and dumfounded he looked and simply linked their arms, walking into the club. The vampire with a soul trailed after them, still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. The two women sat at an empty table and ordered their drinks.

The ginger's eyes flickered to a familiar face, a man who was to be the next victim. He was with a woman with blonde hair, but not Sharon. Sharon's hair had been much lighter than this woman's which was closer to a dark blonde. Artimes lowered her eyes to her drink. She had saved one life, only for another to die instead. It was rather disheartening to think about really.

'To give a life, another must be taken. The balance must be restored.'

Nimueh from the TV series _Merlin_ had said that to the young warlock at the Isle of the Blessed. Perhaps she had a point, but the red head resigned herself to trying harder. She would save as many as she can. That was all she could do. After all, she was only one person.

* * *

Kate watched Angel from a distance. She wasn't fully convinced that he wasn't the one she was looking for. Despite what had occurred outside the bar, she still had her doubts. If he was some kind of psychopath then Artimes was caught right in the middle of his twisted game. Her eyes flickered to the red head sitting across from her who seemed deep in thought.

The blonde would not let anything happen to the ginger haired woman. Artimes was a genuinely kind hearted person who wanted nothing more than to befriend every person she met. It hadn't taken the blonde haired woman very long to work that out. The red head was honest, up front, and for the most part, rather blunt. She was a bit of a smartass too, but that was part of her charm.

Kate honestly wondered how she got mixed up with the tall, dark, and begrudgingly handsome man that was the mysterious Angel. He seemed to genuinely care for the red head, but that could all be an act. This was why she had wanted Artimes to return to the club tonight. She had to make certain that this Angel person was on the level and not something more sinister.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw him get up and head for the entrance of the club. Why was he leaving already?

"Artz, I've got to head out." Kate stated rising from her seat quickly.

"To tail Angel and see where he leads you." Artimes replied also rising to her feet.

"What are you…?" The blonde started completely taken off guard by the ginger's statement.

"I know that you're a cop. You're entire demeanor practically screams it, along with the trust issues." The red head interrupted sliding on her coat and picking up her purse, "He's not a kidnapper or a killer and you can trust him, Kate. Now, I'm gonna call a cab and go home. You best hurry up and go after him, but try not to jump to conclusions, alright?"

Kate watched her go, still a little surprised by how well the ginger had been able to read her. Perhaps that's why Angel was so keen to keep her safe. She was perceptive and could read into a person's heart. The blonde cop was even more certain that the red head was simply being used by Angel to pick his targets.

She quickly left the club, waving goodbye to the red head who was waiting for her cab. It didn't take her long to pick up the dark haired man's trail. She followed him into an apartment building and into a specific apartment. Angel was staggering back to his feet as she entered.

"Kate, what are you doing here and where's Artz?" Angel asked trying to comprehend why the blonde was there.

They both looked over at the dead body that was on the bed. Kate felt her heart pick up speed. She had been right. He was a murderer and he had her friend twisted around his finger.

"Look, I know what this looks like." He started trying to make up excuses.

The blonde cop immediately withdrew her weapon and pointed it at him. She then pulled out her police badge, opening it for him to see.

"So do I." She answered curtly, feeling a deep rage for the dark haired man before her.

How could he simply abandon someone he claimed was special to him, only to turn around and murder some poor girl? He was truly a sick individual and she was not going to let him do the same thing to Artimes. Not by a long shot. She put her badge away and tried to keep her facial features from betraying the deep seated anger bubbling up inside of her.

"LAPD. You have the right to…" She started.

"I waive it. How did you find me and where's Artz?" He interrupted.

"I've been tracking you since last night and what do you care about Artz? You left her alone at a bar full of single men looking to get laid." Kate snapped icily.

"I didn't leave her alone. I trusted you to take care of her." He replied calmly, "And you left her on her own. I've got to find her."

He tried to take a step, but the blonde cop would not allow him to leave.

"Don't move! Not a step. Backup is on the way and I'm not gonna let you anywhere near Artz, you sick bastard." She ordered her eyes flashing in anger.

"We're on the same side. I'm after this guy, too." Angel stated trying to get through to her.

'He's not a kidnapper or a killer and you can trust him, Kate. Now, I'm gonna call a cab and go home. You best hurry up and go after him, but try not to jump to conclusions, alright?'

The red head's voice sliced through the blonde's anger, forcing her to calm down and try to think rationally. Artimes was perceptive, intuitive, and could see beyond the surface of things. What if…what if he wasn't the killer? The ginger had said that he was an investigator of sorts. What if she was wrong? No, she couldn't be wrong. Her instincts were always spot on. This guy was a killer. She just knew it.

"Kate, please…I have to find Artz. You don't what happened here, you didn't see…" Angel started but was cut off.

"What I see is the carving job of an impotent sicko. - It's frustrating, isn't it, not being able to connect, to love like other people? I mean, how do you get them to trust you, Angel? Give them the big dark eyes, the 'I'm not good with talk' speech?" The female cop snapped.

"He gives them what they are longing for." Angel informed.

"And that is?" She demanded trying to hold on to her earlier rage.

She couldn't let this guy get to her. Artimes was depending on her to keep her safe from filth like this.

"Hope. That loneliness is going to end and he is going to do it again, maybe even to Artz…" Angel answered trying to reason with her.

"Unless I let you go so you can stop him. Save me the lines. I've heard them." She replied coldly.

"And I've heard yours. Something about not being able to trust people?" He countered hitting a very sensitive nerve.

The blonde haired cop pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"Turn around." She ordered pushing Angel into a wall.

She slapped a cuff around his right wrist and pulled his arm down roughly.

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

"Is that a confession?" She asked her tone full of venom.

"I didn't do that. I'm sorry for this!" He answered while kicking back and knocking her down.

He sprinted for the window. She got up and shot at him four times as he dived head first out of the window to land on the hood of a car parked below, setting off its alarm. He rolled off and ran down the street as the blonde haired cop watched from the window.

* * *

Kate was beyond angry. She was roiling mad. She had let that sick bastard get away from her and now he was going to claim his next victim. She walked briskly down the side walk towards his office. The sunlight did nothing to elevate her from her darkened mood. She came to a stop in front of his office, her eyes as cold as ice.

She would stop him. She swore that she would. She would make certain he would never harm anyone ever again, even if that meant shooting him in the head and claiming that it was self defense. She opened the door as she withdrew her weapon. She let her eyes scan each room, noting nothing out of the ordinary. It just looked like a regular office. She then noticed what looked to be an elevator and a flight of stairs at the back of the furthermost room.

She made her way to the stairs, slowing descending them and keeping her eyes trained for any movement. She was well aware that she was doing this without a search warrant, but she always followed her gut and it was telling her that something was very off about Angel. She still had that feeling niggling away at the back of her head that she should trust him, but her experiences as a cop prevented her from acting on that feeling.

She finally entered what appeared to be an apartment of some kind. She explored the nearby areas, noting the kinds of food kept in the cupboard and the fridge. Angel didn't strike her as someone who actually knew how to cook and presumed that Artimes did all the cooking for them. She also noted that the place was relatively clean and organized. Again, she attributed that to the ginger's influence.

She then noticed the weapons adorning the back wall. She actually found a pair of short swords tucked away into a corner with a label saying 'For Artz's Birthday, do not use'. It was such an odd thing, but not really something that screamed serial killer. That feeling in the back of her mind was becoming more pronounced the more she searched the apartment.

It then struck her that she was searching the red head's apartment, not just Angel's. Artimes had explained that since the red head's roommate usually worked at night and she during the day that they just ended up using the same bed. It saved a lot of space and it didn't require having a second bedroom. She searched a nearby closest and noticed how Angel's wardrobe was on one side and Artimes's was on the other or in bags at the bottom.

She was starting to believe that they really were a couple, but that they had no idea that they were a couple. She let out an inaudible sigh as she lowered her gun and holstered. She closed the closet and made her way through the bedroom.

She noticed a picture sitting on a small end table. She picked it up and looked at the picture. It was Artimes and Angel. The ginger was on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck while his arms were hooked under her legs. The red head was beaming at the camera and most likely at the person who was taking the picture at the time. Angel had a brilliant smile on his face and looked genuinely happy in that single instance of time.

Her head snapped up as she heard the sound of the elevator beginning to descend. She set the frame down hastily and was silently cursing herself for this stupid plan of hers. She hid behind the nearest wall and peaked out a little. The elevator came to a stop, but no one got out. She frowned then caught a glimpse of red through the grating. She eased out from her hiding place and approached the elevator cautiously, her hand inching towards her holstered weapon.

Once she was near enough, she got a good look at who was in the elevator. It was Artimes. She was sitting on the floor, her left side leaning against the side. The front of her dress was torn and she was trying desperately to hold it together in a vain attempt to cover herself.

"Artz!" Kate shouted in a panic, opening the gate of the elevator and kneeling next to her.

The blonde cop then noticed the blood that had trailed down from in between the ginger's legs and Kate felt her heart skip a beat. She turned her focus back to the ginger's face. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her sapphire orbs almost looked like they were glowing. Kate reached out to touch her friend only for the red head to flinch away.

"It's okay, Artz. It's me. It's Kate." The blonde reassured.

The ginger looked up at her, the glow like illusion fading from her sapphire eyes.

"Kate." She spoke quietly.

"What happened? Who did this to you? Was it Angel?" Kate demanded her voice barely above a whisper.

"Not Angel. It was the two guys from the bar. The ones that caused the fight the night we met." Artimes answered trying to sit up.

Kate helped her to a sitting position, wiping away the tears that still poured from the ginger's eyes.

"One of them was a cab driver. He recognized me from the other night. He drove me out to the pier…um, dock thirty one on the south side. His friend was waiting. They pulled me from the cab. They slapped me around, called me a whore, and then…and then…" The red head began only to let out a sob.

"And then they raped you." Kate breathed guilt beginning to bubble up inside of her.

"I wasn't the first. There was another girl. She looked so…broken. They just tossed her into the water before focusing on me. I don't what happened to her." The ginger continued taking a few breaths to calm herself, "I fought back. I don't really remember everything that happened. It's all a blur, but I did manage to knock them out and then I locked them in their boat house. They should still be there."

"You did good, Artz. They'll pay for what they've done. I promise you that." The blonde vowed the guilt fully raging her stomach.

"I yelled, I screamed, I called to Angel, but he didn't come. He didn't save me." The red head cried losing what little control she had left over her emotions.

She descended into tears, covering her face with her hands and sobbing. Kate wrapped her arms around the distraught ginger, trying to comfort her, but deep down, she knew that this was her fault. She had left her friend on her own instead of staying with her and protecting her like Angel had asked her to. Furthermore, the one person who could have probably found her and saved her from that nightmare had been too preoccupied contending with Kate herself.

'Look Kate, I just want to make sure that Artz stays safe while I'm…investigating. She's very special to me.'

Kate squeezed her eyes shut as tears of her own threatened to fall.

'I didn't leave her alone. I trusted you to take care of her. And you left her on her own. I've got to find her.'

This was her fault. She promised to protect her and she wasn't there when Artimes need her most. Angel…he wanted to find her the moment he realized that Kate had abandoned her. She had been wrong. She had been wrong the whole time. He wasn't a kidnapper, he wasn't a killer, and he certainly wasn't using Artimes at all. He genuinely cared about the ginger haired woman and he was a total Martian at socializing. All that time, he was being himself, no matter how odd or eccentric he was.

Kate was a complete and total idiot.

* * *

Lady Artz: That's all for Chapter Four: Twisted Truth! Whew, sorry about that, but I couldn't actually bring myself to write out what happened to Artz so I sort of summarized and hinted at it instead. The next chapter will show how Artz deals with her feelings…probably causing some bodily harm to someone or maybe damaging property or maybe both.

Anyways, leave tons and tons of reviews and be on the lookout for Chapter Five: Artz's Resolve! Stay tuned!


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